As the unofficial start of summer arrived Monday morning with blue skies and balmy temperatures, a crowd gathered in Columbine Park.

They weren't there to picnic and play, but to pay tribute.

VFW Post 3541 Commander Lonnie Brungardt reminded the crowd at the veterans memorial that, "It is a day to remember the promise President Lincoln made, 'to care for him whom shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan.'"

As he welcomed the group to the annual Memorial Day service, Brungardt reminded them that once a year is not enough — "The widows, widowers, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and children remember every day. The empty seat at the dinner table, the smaller gathering on Thanksgiving, and the voice of a love one heard only as a distant memory in one's mind are constant reminders they are gone."

Representatives of veterans service organizations laid wreaths at the base of the veterans memorial in Colubmine Park during the Memorial Day service. (Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-Advocate)

Following the singing of the National Anthem by Regan, Cassidy and Colleen Wright and an invocation by Veterans Service Officer Fred Kubitz, Brungardt introduced Sterling Police Chief Tyson Kerr, a Marine veteran, to give the keynote address.

Kerr said he was humbled and grateful to be speaking for the "somber celebration honoring fallen men and women."

"I don't hold a candle to those who we truly honor today" he said.

He called those who have served, and particularly those who sacrificed all in service to their country, a great representation of what the word "hero" truly means. "Thinking of heroes who join us today, and those who are here only in spirit, a person can't help but feel awed... We stand in the midst of patriots and the family and friends of those who have nobly served. We say thank you for their sacrifices."

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While the Armed Forces are made up of people from all walks of life, Kerr said they share some of the same qualities: "They possessed courage, pride, determination, selflessness, dedication to duty and integrity, all the qualities needed to serve a cause larger than oneself — qualities we need to ensure we are passing down to future generations."

The rifle squad gives a 21-gun salute at the close of the Memorial Day service. (Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-Advocate)

"Many of them didn't ask to leave their homes to fight on distant battlefields; many didn't even volunteer. They didn't go to war because they loved fighting. They were called to be part of something bigger than themselves," Kerr said. "They were ordinary people who responded in extraordinary ways in extreme times. They rose to the nation's call because they wanted to protect a nation which has given them, which has given us, so much."

He spoke about the way past conflicts have shaped the nation and its military. "Millions of Americans have fought and died on battle fields here and abroad to defend our freedoms and our way of life," he said. "Today our service members continue to make the ultimate sacrifices and even as we lose troops, more Americans step forward to say 'I'm ready to serve.' They follow in the footsteps of generations of fine Americans before them."

He noted how Memorial Day got its start in the wake of the Civil War. "The war's unprecedented carnage and destruction was on a scale not even imaginable a few years prior. And it changed Americans' view of war forever," he said. "From those dark times, it was the families who were honoring their dead who began to bring the light of reconciliation."

While he noted there are different versions of the holiday's origins, he shared one that claims families from a city in Mississippi who decorate the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers to show their respect for the families of the Union soldiers and in hopes that someone in the north would do the same for their own lost loved ones. The first formal Memorial Day celebration was held in Waterloo, N.Y., in 1866, and it was declared a federal holiday in 1887.

A crowd gathered in Columbine Park for the Memorial Day service. (Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-Advocate)

"Since then, with each passing year and subsequent conflicts, we have continued to honor our troops. We have awarded medals to many soldiers, added their names to monuments, names to buildings, to honor them for their bravery," Kerr said. "But nothing can ever replace the hole left behind a fallen service member. And no number of medals and ribbons can comfort their families."

He took the time to honor the current service members and veterans attending the service, as well as their family members, thanking them for their service and their sacrifices. And he called on those attending to help ensure that the stories and legacy of those remembered on Memorial Day "live on to tell the true story of how our country was made great."

An empty placing for prisoners of war and those missing in action was set at the veterans memorial in Columbine Park for the Memorial Day service Monday. (Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-Advocate)

Following Kerr's address, presentation of wreaths was made by local veterans service organizations, with representatives laying the wreaths at the base of the memorial. A 21-gun salute and the playing of "Taps" closed out the service, and a luncheon followed at the American Legion.

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